Monday, March 14, 2011

How Does The iPad 2 Smart Cover Work?

Apple has used magnets before in their products, like keeping the cover of your MacBook closed... but Apple has really went all out on the Smart Cover magnets. There are 31 total magnets making up the iPad 2 smart cover, making it interesting enough for the iFixit team to tear apart.

We never took apart a case before, but the Smart Cover piqued our interest as soon as Steve Jobs announced it alongside the iPad 2. We knew it worked with magnets, but exactly how? What did it attach to? How can something so simple be so multi-functional? A Smart Cover went under the knife (literally) to provide the answers to these questions.

The magnets are used to clip the Smart Cover to the iPad, keep it attached when closed, maintain trangular shape when folded, and instantly wake the iPad when opened (and sleep when closed).